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Carolyne Taylor was born in southern Saskatchewan and moved to Victoria, BC when she was five years old. The founder of 24 Carrot Learning, she comes from a varied background including 12 years with the Victoria Police Department.
She began her career there as a 911 operator and then went into human resources, taking responsibility for the training and development functions as well as the recruiting for police and civilian staff.
In the twelve years at the department she built a foundation and passion to help people become who and what they are truly meant to be. She also developed a reputation for being the ‘go to’ person when you needed to know what was going on – this reputation has stuck with her as she has developed her own business and website!
After 12 years, Carolyne felt she had hit a plateau in her career with the police department and began to do some soul-searching regarding her professional life.
One driving factor was her growing desire for flexibility which would allow her to have more time with her son. She wanted to create personally fulfilling work while still being able to pick her son up from school and catch his baseball games.
While the decision to leave a regular pay cheque, holidays, benefits and a pension was difficult for a single parent, the enthusiasm and energy that she has for her work makes it clear that she made the right decision.
She tuned into what people were coming to her for and what, of those things, energized her. Helping people and building a community while utilizing her creative talents is a perfect fit for her. She says “seek your passion, not your pension…life is too short to not do what you love!”
24 Carrot Learning is an amazing resource website and directory, both for the many consultants, coaches and trainers who are included in the directory and also for any person who is looking for them.
The learning areas are divided into Business Success, Communications, Computer Technology, Health & Wellness, Leadership Development, People Development and Self Development.
It’s not just limited to workshops and conference listing either, an advanced search will allow you to find a consulting working in the area in which you need. Carolyne regularly receives phone calls and is able to direct people to others not listed on the site, who may be able to assist them with their needs, be it a consulting opportunity or a response to an RFP.
There’s a bit of whimsy in Carolyne too! Every page in her website offers a different carrot recipe, as well as an inspirational quote. Of all her inspirational quotes, Carolyne has two favourites: ‘Do not kiss your children so that they will kiss you back, but so that they’ll kiss their children’ (Noah Ben Shea) and ‘Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere’ (Chinese proverb).
Carolyne was also the driving force behind the Alliance of Professional Associations started in the fall of 2006 that includes 20+ professional associations on Vancouver Island. They offer a joint calendar of events and all members of this group, including Carolyne, volunteer their time.
She has worked with the BC Human Resources Management Association since 1989, contributing to the growth of the Vancouver Island Region from 100 to 434 members since 1999. She believes strongly in giving back to your community and has sat on many Board of Directors for sporting associations throughout Greater Victoria; her current efforts are being directed towards KidSport.
The future for Carolyne and 24 Carrot Learning sees continued growth, constantly evolving and re-evaluating direction and a continued search for people to become members at her website, so 24 Carrot Learning can give them the huge exposure they deserve.
“We need to tell ourselves how successful we’ve become. We need to look at what we have accomplished already. We need to be focused on the future and moving forward in life”
Roaring Woman Carolyne Taylor walks her own walk ‘Building Community, Building Connections’ and has recently been appointed as a Regional Director for Roaring Women for the Victoria area.
Written by: Marcia Barhydt
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